The complete guide · 5 min read
ASKA Server Hosting Explained: A Complete Guide
This guide covers how a hosted ASKA server works: why it needs a Steam token, what the server properties control, how presets and the pause-when-empty rule shape a settlement, and how to run mods without breaking anything. It is written for the chieftain who ends up looking after the server.
By Matthew Griffin, Owner, Gaming DeluxePublished · Updated
In this guide
Why Run a Dedicated ASKA Server
ASKA is a Viking survival and settlement game from Sand Sailor Studio, played solo or with up to three friends. In a hosted co-op game the world lives on the host's PC: when that player is busy, the village waits, and the host's machine has to run the game and the whole settlement at once.
Since the Servers & Roads update of November 2024, ASKA has an official dedicated server, installed as a tool through the Steam library. It runs the settlement on its own, so any member of the crew can join and keep building, and the host's PC only has to run the game. Renting one moves the tool into a data centre with a fixed address and a panel, so nobody has to leave a PC switched on.
Setting Up the Steam Token
Before the server can appear to players it needs a Steam game server login token. The token ties the server to your Steam account and lets Steam list it. It takes two minutes.
- Open Steam's game server account management page while logged in to Steam.
- Create a new token with the app ID 1898300, which is ASKA's own ID on Steam, and add a memo such as the server's name.
- Copy the token, open the token popup in our panel and paste it in.
- Press Set Token and restart the server.
Server Properties, Seed and Password
The dedicated server reads its settings from a properties file in the server folder. Sand Sailor Studio's update announcement names the main things it controls: world settings, the seed and the password. In our panel you edit it under Configuration Files.
- Seed: decides the shape of the world. Set it before the first start if you want a particular map.
- Password: keeps the server to your crew. Share it only with the people you play with.
- World settings: the difficulty and gameplay options for the settlement. Several only apply when a world is created.
Always stop the server before changing the file, then start it again. A change to a creation-only setting on an existing world will not take effect; you would need a new world for it.
Custom World Presets
The easiest way to tune a server in detail is to build the rules in ASKA itself. The Great Hall & Feasts update widened the custom game settings, and any preset you save in game can be uploaded to the server.
- In ASKA, open Multiplayer, choose New and open the Custom menu.
- Set the world and gameplay options, then save them as a named preset under Game Settings.
- Stop the server and open the presets folder inside Saves in the File Manager.
- Upload your preset from the WorldCustomizationPresets folder in your PC's AppData\LocalLow\Sand Sailor Studio\Aska\data folder.
- Select the preset in the server configuration and start the server.
Persistent Progress and the Pause When Empty
Progress on a dedicated server is persistent: buildings, stores and villagers are saved on the server rather than on any player's PC. ASKA also does something many survival games do not. According to the publisher's pinned post for the dedicated server, the server pauses when nobody is online.
That pause is good news for a crew with busy lives. Nobody comes back after a week away to find the food gone and the village in ruins, and the settlement moves forward only while someone is there to look after it. It also means the server does not need more memory for running time while empty; RAM only matters for what is loaded when you play.
Running Mods with BepInEx and Thunderstore
ASKA mods are community made and almost all use BepInEx, a plugin loader for Unity games. Many are published on Thunderstore, and others on sites such as Nexus Mods. The server and each player need the same set.
- Stop the server and install BepInEx from the Mod Manager's Frameworks category.
- Edit ASKA.mods in Configuration Files and add each Thunderstore mod as author/name, one per line.
- Press the Thunderstore button and wait for the downloads to finish.
- Start the server so each mod writes its config file into BepInEx/config, then adjust the settings.
- Use Download BepInEx ModPack and share the file with your crew so their game matches.
Two habits save most of the trouble. Add mods one at a time and test each before the next, and never add BepInEx itself to the Thunderstore list, because a second copy of the loader breaks the server. A scheduled task can then keep the Thunderstore mods up to date automatically.
What to Compare Before You Rent an ASKA Server
ASKA hosting offers often look alike. These details decide how the server feels once the settlement is months old.
- Honest player countsASKA allows 4 players. A plan that sells more slots does not let more people in, so compare on memory and price instead.
- RAM includedCheck how much memory the price includes and what the next tier costs.
- Steam token helpA panel field for the token, and a guide to making one, saves the most common first-day problem.
- Mod toolsA BepInEx install, a Thunderstore installer and a way to give players the same mods matter once you go beyond vanilla.
- Backups you restore yourselfAsk whether you can roll back without a ticket, and how many days of offsite copies are kept.
- Locations near the crewPick a location close to most players and test it with a ping check before you order.
ASKA Server Glossary
- Dedicated server
- The standalone ASKA server tool, which runs the settlement without a player hosting it.
- Steam token
- A game server login token from Steam, made for app ID 1898300, that the server needs to be listed.
- Server properties
- The settings file holding the seed, password and world settings.
- Preset
- A saved set of custom world settings, created in game and uploaded to the server.
- BepInEx
- The plugin loader most ASKA mods depend on.
- Thunderstore
- A mod site many ASKA mods are published on, which the panel can install from.
- ASKA.mods
- The list of Thunderstore mods the panel installs, one author/name per line.
- ModPack download
- A panel action that packages the server's mods and configs for players.
- Villagers
- The settlers who live and work in your ASKA settlement.
ASKA Server Help and Next Steps
Useful guides for setting up and running your settlement.
- Add the Steam token to your ASKA serverOur step-by-step guide.
- Add mods to your ASKA serverBepInEx, Thunderstore and manual installs.
- Custom world presets on an ASKA serverCreate in game, upload to the server.
- ASKA on SteamNews and patch notes from the developer.
- Contact support24/7 help with tokens, mods and worlds.
How this guide was made: researched from the official ASKA Steam store page and Steam news, the publisher's dedicated server post, and our own knowledge base, drafted with AI assistance, checked against our live order form for every plan, price and location, and reviewed by Matthew Griffin before publishing. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Sources, checked 21 October 2026:
- ASKA on Steam
- ASKA news and patch notes, Steam
- ASKA dedicated server post, Thunderful (pinned Steam discussion); its linked setup document is currently empty
- Gaming Deluxe knowledge base: Steam token for ASKA
- Gaming Deluxe knowledge base: mods on an ASKA server
- Gaming Deluxe order form, Aska Dedicated Server
